it was powerful because his presence in and of itself is powerful. >> what did you say? >> i said you cannot imagine how important your legacy is to who i am, to who my husband is. i just said thank you, thank you. thank you. me, thank you,h thank you, thank you, the first lady telling nelson mandela shortly after she became first lady here in america. i want to bring in our chief correspondent. this is very much a global headline with nelson mandela. mano question, this is a who has jacob zuma, the president of south africa, said the founder of the democratic republic of south africa. it was nelson mandela who created that democracy. that is the miracle that

astonished the world and made him such a world figure. he was well known while he was in prison, but when he came out of prison, there was a great question about what would happen. would there be a terrible bloodbath, with they get through the passage to democracy with apartheid? it was because of nelson mandela and his character that they did. the world recognized a peacemaker, and he developed a moral stature in the world that helped him bring south africa into the world community, help them reintegrate into the world terrible it aow role in various hot spots the world. he was very close to president bill clinton. frankly, he could not stand the policies of president george w. bush, which he saw as imperialistic. that was a bit of a public-

relations problem for the bush white house. the election of barack obama, the kind of change towards a multiracial society that he saw in south africa as well. it was not just south africa that nelson mandela was revolutionary. it was his moral stature around the world and the way that he used it that made a difference. was tremendous respect from leaders around the world for nelson mandela. next year. are coming ines from presidents of this country. george w. bush, "we join the people of south africa and around the world and celebrity the life of nelson mandela. he was one of the great forces for freedom and equality of our time. he left the world with dignity and grace and our world is better off because of his example," that from president george w. bush a short time ago. jonathan karl, certainly president obama made aware of the news, the loss this afternoon. have we heard anything yet from the president? >> the white house is well aware

of this, something we have been tracking a long time. no official statement yet. was a towering influence on president obama, inspiration. if you look now at the screen, that is the one and only photograph of president obama and mandela together, happening the one time that manned -- that obama got to meet his hero as a young freshman senator, newly elected senator, and mandela was visiting washington. he had that meeting, that single photo, obama in silhouette. he wassident, back when senator obama, wrote a forward to a book by nelson mandela, and the words here give you a sense. by the way, the pictures right now, that is the president in the cell where nelson mandela spent 17 years in prison and in south africa, 17 of the 27 years that nelson mandela spent in prison.

trip, the president visited south africa earlier this year. he had hoped to get a chance to have one last meeting with mandela. forela was no condition such a meeting. the president visited that cell, went out into the quarries where nelson mandela and the other prisoners were forced to do hard labor. it was clearly a very emotional visit for the president. ,s you see, he brought michelle he talked about mandela's influence on his life. in this forward that senator obama wrote the book by mandela, he said, "too many of us, he was more than just a man. of the struggle for justice, equality, and dignity in south africa and around the globe. his sacrifice was so great that it called upon people everywhere to do what they could on behalf of human progress." and there you see his daughters

got to go in the cell as well come a very emotional experience for the entire obama family. really, i do not think that you can overstate how much of an influence mandela has been on barack obama. >> john, we are learning that we will hear from the president shortly on the passing of nelson mandela. the images of the president, the first lady, the daughters in that cell. that was a trip to south africa, not long ago. in the archive room, we look at some of the letters that he wrote to children and family members, winnie mandela, when he was in the cell, and he would often practice the letters in a nopal, write a draft of them before sending them out. he was only allowed so many letters per year, so he is very careful that the letters that he sent out were per perfectly written, precisely the message that he wanted to send. he promised his children if he was let out of prison that he would spend his final years with

them. man whostory, the young became a very close friend of nelson mandela during his 17 years on robben island. winnie mandela brought over one of the grandchildren as a new baby, she was told she could not bring a baby into the prison, then the jailer secretly took the baby to nelson mandela, so he was able to see his grandchild, and/or tears. -- and there were tears. mandela' to america, this was a trip to the oprah winfrey show in chicago, an hour-long talk show. he showed up in the studio, sits down next to opera, and asks, why am i here? >> i had said, you are one of the most humble people i've ever met. and mr. mandela arrived today, he said to the producer, said to him, what is the subject of today's show? [laughter] [applause]

>> if anybody ever earned that our on oprah winfrey, it was nelson mandela. in closing this special report, bill, you worked so many years in the johannes berg -- in the johannesburg bureau. your thoughts on the passing of nelson mandela? >> everybody acknowledges he is an icon and simple and all of that. i think what people tend to overlook and what in my mind made him exceptional among the thering figures of 21st century is he was such an astute politician. you look back over the whole trajectory of his life, he was at one time a lack nationalists, then a non-racialist, he opposed arm struggles, then took up arms struggles, then he dropped arm struggles.

he was close partner of the ,outh african communist party and for a year or two was actually member of the communist party, yet as a president he was a close ally of south africa's capitalists. in other words, he was whatever served his purpose. he never lost sight of the basic purpose, which was ending south africa's fiendish brand of my new wordy role. point about what an astute politician nelson mandela was. byron, so many americans know the story of not long ago, in theaters, of the south african country, and he knew that he had the team thatport was not inclusive of the people of south africa, yet he supported the team and was sending a message. >> in south africa at the time, blacks loved soccer, but he

understood to unite the nation, he had to find common ground. he found the common ground of sport. he cap a poll among the cell wall of his prison, the sixth i six space that he lived in, and while he was in prison, he was an incredibly disciplined man. he understood politics and human nature. as was a man who was a man who is born into royalty, grew up poor, he was the first black man to open a law firm in south africa. he was a well educated, sophisticated man. he knew white south africa, black south africa, poor south africa, wealthy south africa. one of his supporters said at the time when they were looking for a leader for this mass movement, in walks this six foot two inch massive demand. they said, yup, he is the one.

mandela said at one of his first meetings, he stood in the room with the elders and said, i will be the first black president of south africa. he said that in the 1950s. >> and in south africa in recent line, what it was like to up in 1994, that first election. they still had tears in their eyes, still very vivid to them. legacy ofd that the nelson mandela would not be enough, that there was still a lot of work to be done in south africa. the country has problems. it is one of the leading places of rape in the country, aids is rampant. unemployment between the ages of 20 and 50 is more than 50%. but nelson mandela set the stage for the future. of them,t out the best this kind and gentle man. he always made the point, people

ask, is he still angry, he said i am still angry but i made a choice. i decided to make a choice and i would not let my blood overpower my brain. good work has to occur and it has to occur on my watch. to thethe work left generations that follow, nelson mandela passing away at the age of 95. addressing the people of south africa and the people around the world, jacob zuma. we will have much more the passing of nelson mandela on world news with diane sawyer. from president obama, we will bring that to you. we pick up now from that abc news special report, the breaking news from south africa tonight that nelson mandela has died. >> the south african president says his nation has lost its greatest son. scott thuman joins us live from the newsroom. >> such a sad day on so many levels. get the breaking news just in the past 30 minutes that nelson

mandela has indeed died at the age of 95. had been fighting a recurring lung infection the past year, and several times during his hospital stay there were vigils held outside of the hospital, people fearing he was perhaps down to his last days. he was eventually discharged after three-month stay in the hospital, then was receiving care from as many as 22 doctors as they tried to prolong what unfortunately was the inevitable. for someone who can clearly be described as one of the biggest icons in the history of trying to end racism, successfully ending apartheid in south africa. and the role of the trials and tribulations, a man who throughout history had been punished for his efforts, his moral opposition to racism, spending some 27 years in prison , from 1962 until 1990, then emerging as a hero on so many

levels. just four years after his release, was elected as the democratic president of south africa, and then just continuing this relentless drive to try to fight for equality among all races. his last time in washington, d.c., with a white house visit was back in 2001 with george w. bush and all members. an inspiration they have received from nelson mandela over the years. some quotes coming in, this from george h.w. bush, "nelson mandela is a powerful symbol of grace and redemption for all of us, a man of tremendous courage." mandela of course somebody else who was a huge fan. this is a live picture from the embassy, where no doubt we will see a lot of action, a lot of people who will come there to mourn and pray through the

evening. the south african embassy in washington, d.c. makedent obama is going to a statement in just a few minutes. meantime, we will hear from jacob zuma, the press about south africa, who spoke just a few minutes ago. >> our nation has lost its greatest son. our people have lost a father. mourn and knew , nothing cand come diminish our sense of the profound and enduring loss. >> the inspiration to follow the legacy and teachings of nelson mandela, summed up by jacob zuma when he said let us commit ourselves to strive together to build a united, nonracist, nonsexist community.

news,ore on this breaking the passing of nelson mandela, throughout the newscast, including when the president speaks. >> we are waiting for the president to appear. as soon as he does, much wrong his passing. the president should be here in about five minutes. >> meantime, covering some local news, major developments tonight in the story that you saw first here on abc seven, adc police officer under investigation in connection to a missing teenager case. >> we have learned the police officer is connected to an underaged prostitution ring. roz plater is in southeast washington with the details and the search warrant. >> there are lots of disturbing details outlined in the search warrant documents. the search for the missing girl started about a week or so ago on tuesday night at this apartment building. when they knocked on the door of the first-floor apartment, the police officer who is now under

investigation answer the door. investigators smelled the strong odor of marijuana. this is video of the search last night. inside the apartment, investigators discovered two young women, one who is 18, 1 is 16-year-old missing girl they had been searching for. she had told investigators she had been there several times and had met six other females who told their have much action who told her how much money they made prostituting for the police officer. he told her her nickname would be juicy and he had made a sex tape of her with an older man. he had made $80 and she could keep 60 of it. much more outlined in the search document, including how he allegedly advertised the women online. and we will tell you more about the large mirror we showed last night. what was on it and why investigators, stated it. for now, live in southeast ec, roz plater, abc 7 news. >> this is the second district

officer in trouble with the law. just this week, d.c. police and cap they later issued a statement saying, "the department is very concerned about the recent allegations of egregious conduct by two officers. the misguided actions of a few in no way reflect the professionalism, integrity, and dedication of the department." the second officer who faces child pornography charges appeared in court today. >> an investigation into allegations of sex abuse at a popular district pool. jennifer donelan is live from the wilson pull in northwest washington with a story that you will see only on 7. >> we had a case last week where women stepped forward. we have learned from sources that others are stepping forward and they are young. we have been told this case is a high priority. detectives are working around the clock. abc 7 news has learned another major investigation into new

allegations of sexual abuse at the wilson aquatic center in northwest is underway. law enforcement confirmed this time the alleged victims are juveniles and there are multiple young girl stepping forward. >> shocking. >> last week we told you about a 23-year-old woman whose family alleged she had been beaten and raped inside of a pool locker room by two men who had a key to the facility. they claim the attack happened after hours when the pool was supposed to be closed. scratchedreally hurt, by the knuckles, banged up, scratched up. from sourcesarned that several juveniles came forward, alleging they were also sexually abused by two men at the pool. the incidents occurred after hours. sources would not elaborate on how many teenage girls are claiming they are victimized. the pool is right next door to wilson high school.

this was unsettling for residents. >> i hope it is not something that is happening around here. what if it is, that they get to the bottom of it quickly. >> residents say the pool, run by the city's department of parks and recreation, needs to be safe for all. >> it is very important for the government to do everything it can to protect young women from predators. >> law enforcement sources were not ready to say if the two men suspected in the earlier case involving the 20 three rd woman asked the 23-year-old woman are the same suspects being looked for these allegations. the case is ongoing. if you have any information or feel that your child has been victimized, call the district police. jennifer donelan, abc 7 news. fairfax county police are investigating whether racing played a role in a deadly crash in springfield. witnesses told officers a convertible driven by a 30-year- old seem to be racing and

infiniti late last night when blaine lost control of his car on the franconia springfield parkway. an embankment and three before rolling over and coming to rest on the parkway. blaine died at the hospital. the search continues for the driver of the infiniti. the police say that speed was a factor, but it is not known if alcohol was a factor. >> a teacher is accused of driving under the influence and having alcohol in school are pretty. he is a physical education teacher at cedar lake elementary school. jeff goldberg spoke with wuensch el. jeff? >> he is currently out of jail on a $2500 bond, on administrative leave as both a legal process and investigation for loudoun county schools run their course. a pe teacherars as with loudoun county and five

years before that and fairfax, wuenchel is greg dealing with a difficult reality. he says he had been drinking the night before and felt fine on his drive from home in west virginia to work at cedar lane elementary -- burnt. forgot that he had alcohol still in his bag when he entered the school. >> i feel completely ashamed and i would like to apologize to cedar lane and loudoun county public schools. >> yesterday morning, a fellow staff member suspected he was drunk, leading to a response from a lot in county school resource officer. following an interview and field served friday test, in addition to finding the alcohol in his vehicle, he was arrested and charged with the ui, driving without a license, and position of alcohol on school property. >> he is a well-known known

figure at the school. it is a surprising situation. >> it's a great school, so it is sad. >> he is the fifth loudoun county teacher arrested for being drunk at school in the past two and half years. >> we have more than 12,000 employees. i don't think that we can save five out of 12,000 is a trend, but it is concerning to us. >> hopefully i will be able to rebuild. >> parents say they were notified by the principal about the situation. moveday the school quickly. the london county school district said the teacher taught one gym class yesterday morning, but at no point was he alone with any students. jeff gold berg, abc 7 news. >> let's talk about the weather now. we have such a warm, mild day. coldin tomorrow with the front, then cold and quiet saturday. sunday could be an icy mess. thetime lapse from

spacelab, as president obama comes to the microphone to speak about ms. mandela -- we will go to that live. we will go to that immediately if it occurs. there was a peak of sunshine, but the key was the temperatures. upper 60s in some areas. it was cloudy, dreary, mild. national, 64 frederick and gaithersburg, 66 fredericksburg and culpeper. we stay warm and cloudy, the low 60s for a few more hours. late tonight, we drop off into the 50s, upper 40s. we had a couple of showers near the maryland/pennsylvania order, but most of that will come of the front tomorrow. so many things happening, a complex weather pattern evolving over the next 72 hours. the moisture, along with the cold front, the air is warm enough that it is rain and nothing but rain. southwest, theh, cold arctic air has artie plunged, turning the rain into

snow and ice. ice is the big story. tennessee, arkansas, oklahoma, states of emergency because of the treacherous driving conditions. these are the winter storm warnings from central ohio, from columbus, all the way southwest into arkansas. ice stormreas are the warnings and a variety of other winter weather advisory's posted for the northeast. ensconced inely the warm air, nothing but rain tomorrow during the day and evening and nighttime hours. but the temperatures will be slowly dropping. indianapolis 28, charleston 63. a big gradient. as the temperatures get colder, the further north and west. once this clears out early saturday, we will be sunny, but some of the arctic air will seep in. that will set the stage for the next system to come up and give us a chance for snow and ice and all kinds of nasty stuff sunday. five below in great falls, two

above rapid city. denver is six degrees. metroplex, aorth friend of mine down there says they have widespread advisories and warnings for icy travel, just up, north, plano, the big story. sliding east is the cold front with the rain, falling temperatures, clearing skies. the low pressure that follows the storm system saturday, snow through the lakes and the interior of new england with the cold front, then we clear out nicely. the cold air ships over and sets up shop up and down the coast. right now, let's hear from president obama. 1964, nelsonal at statementosed his saying, "i have fought against white domination and i have fought against black domination. i cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in

which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. it is an ideal which i hope to live for and to achieve. be, it is an ideal for which i am prepared to die." nelson mandela lived for that ideal and made it real. he achieved more than could be expected of any man. today he has gone home. we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will ever share time with on this earth. heat a longer belongs to us. he belongs to the ages. andugh his fierce dignity unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, mandela transformed south africa and moved all of us. his journey from a prisoner to a

embodied the promise that human beings and countries can change for the better. his commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether they are in the lives of nations or in the room personal lives. the fact he did it all with grace and with good humor and an inability to it knowledge his own imperfections really makes the man that much more remarkable. as he once said, "i'm not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." i am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from nelson mandela's life. my very first political action, thatirst thing i ever did involved in issue, a policy of

politics, was a protest against apartheid. i would study his words and his writings. the day he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings could do with a are guided by their hopes and not by their fears. and like so many around the globe, i cannot imagine my own life without the example that nelson mandela set. and so long as i live, i will do what i can to learn from him. to his family, michelle and i extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. meant long days away from those who loved him most, and i only hope the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family. to the people of south africa,

we draw strength from the example ofenewal and reconciliation and resilience that you made real. at peaceuth africa with itself. that is an example to the world, and that is the legacy to the nation he loved. we will not likely see the likes of nelson mandela again. so it falls to us as best we can to follow the example he set, to make decisions guided not by -- not by hatee, but by love, never discover the difference one person can make, to develop a future that is worthy of the sechrist. now let us pause and give thanks for the fact that nelson mandela lived. a man who took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice.

god bless his memory, and keep them in peace. president obama, reacting to the death of nelson mandela, who died today at the age of 95. of nelsontatue mandela, just outside of the south african embassy under reconstruction right now. there it is. for years, and doug will robinson used to lead protest against apartheid up there on massachusetts avenue, for years. and to have imagined then one day outside that embassy there would be a statue of nelson would be pretty much -- it would defy the imagination, i think. a remarkable man. when he ascended to the he led the fight for

the reconciliation of the races in south africa. he and bishop desmond tutu as well, it is meant to to bringing to south africa the truth and reconciliation mission, the idea that we have to forgive if not forget. ande're going to get along have this nation at peace and harmony. iq 96, the south african parliament approved a new national constitution that included a new bill of rights, guaranteeing protections. south africans could never imagine such a thing to stop south africa the first nation in the world to have the rights of gays and constitution. that is the same year, as i mentioned, mandela launched the truth and reconciliation commission, which was led by reverend bishop desmond tutu. about -- it was about truth telling and amnesty.

and as the president said, we will probably not see the likes of this man again. >> and to hear from president obama, calling mandela influential, courageous, profoundly good, and the aspirations that he took from n.l. his life as well. we will be hearing reaction to this sad news through the evening and continue to cover that. we want to move on briefly. the weather forecast was interrupted. >> i'm glad we interrupted. >> we want to get to the seven- day. tomorrow,n is coming with falling temperatures, and cool but sunny saturday. sunday is a question. we don't know how impactful the snow and ice will be. would be very impactful in parts of the area. briefly warming monday, colder next week. we will keep an i on things. >> thank you. >> thanks very much. >> other local news tonight, earlier we told you about a district police officer under

investigation in a pending case. >> he is not the only officer in trouble with the law. mark washington appeared in federal court this afternoon on child pornography charges. greta kreuz is live from the courthouse with that story. >> it was a detention hearing washington.old marc the judge ordered him released into the electronic monitoring program with thai controls. 24-hour stay. the prosecutor maintains that he is a danger to the community. internal affairs told the court today that marc washington has been suspended without pay and stripped of his badge and uniform and gun as the investigation continues. the assistant u.s. attorney said in court that washington had committed the most egregious of crimes, that while in full uniform and with his gun took naked photographs and the child pornography, of the most vulnerable, a child who had been reported missing.

prosecutors argued against his release, alleging officer washington went to the 15-year- old southeast apartment after she returned home and took digital photographs of her breasts and genitals, telling her it was protocol. the girl told her mother, washington was arrested, and prosecutors then found numerous photos of other unidentified females, at least two of them minioors. he is anse argued that longtime washington resident, a resident of waldorf, and in iraqi war veteran. the judge called the crimes despicable but agreed to washington's release, pending trial, with an electronic monitoring program, ordered to have searches of his locker, car, and cell phone. prosecutors believe those search warrants will turn up additional andence to show this was not

isolated incident, that this was a pattern of behavior by marc washington. they are due back in court january 5. greta kreuz, abc 7 news. workerseds of fast food walked off the job today, protesting the country's current minimum wage. from the district to new york and california, employees say they don't make enough money to support their families. suzanne kennedy is live in arlington with their mission. mcdonald's here in arlington is one of three locations where minimum wage workers protested today. they say seven dollars 25 cents is not a living wage and they deserve more. they rallied outside of the smithsonian air and space museum, where some of them work mcdonald's. protesters say they do not make enough money working in fast food, so they have joined others around country and walking off the job. yesterday and i

can't make it off that. >> this group of low-wage workers are federal contractors, urging the president to sign an executive order to make companies that contract with the government payment among wage. does notthly paycheck cover my rent, i am still on government assistance with food stamps, and i don't get any benefits. it is hard. >> workers when a minimum what wage increase from $7.25 per hour. >> there is no american dream at the end of a minimum wage salary, just a nightmare of nearly 50 million americans. >> especially small businesses oppose the change. >> we're dealing with health care increases, regulatory increases, and raising taxes. when you add the minimum wage increase on top, small businesses feel like they are hit from all sides. >> in arlington, workers staged

a protest in the restaurant, hoping they will have an impact on the debate over the minimum wage hike. national restaurant association says today's protests were engineered by national labor groups. senate majority leader harry reid promises a vote on the minimum wage issue before the end of the year. live in arlington, suzanne

>> a father is furious with the fairfax county school system after he says that his six-year- old daughter was sexually assaulted on her school bus. >> horace holmes has the story. old.e is only six years imagine a six-year-old trying to fight off a 10-year-old. e father the singl of two young children, trying to protect his little daughter. a little over a week ago, he met his little girl and she got off her school bus near her home. that is when she told him a horrifying story. >> he put his hands inside of my pants and touched me in my private area. >> school patrol officers who

ride the bus set his daughter next to older children, one of them a fifth-grader who he says molested his daughter. >> my daughter said stop, stop, and the young man kept going, on top of her. >> he rushed home and called the school principal. the next day, the school identified the 10-year-old boy. an investigation has been going ever since. he claimed this week after thanksgiving break, the boy was back riding on the same school bus with his daughter. he says he wants the boy punished and at least cap away from his daughter. saying little girl is that somebody sexually assaulting her, that he is not going to say it is his word against her word. >> fairfax county said it is being investigated as a student disciplinary incident and as a result would make most further comment. >> mr. wells said the school invited him to look at the video captured by cameras on the bus

but has declined. he has called the police who are also looking into it. up next, a pop warner football team left waiting for he promised us to florida. >> and talk about some serious holiday shopping, one store will be open more than four days

a now today's 7 on your side, major retailer announcing serious extended holiday hours. >> natasha barrett has those details. >> there are 20 days left until christmas. shoppingwords, 20 more days. stores are taking advantage of every single minute. will be open around-the- clock the clock from december 20 through christmas eve, 100 hours straight. and delivering christmas trees to front doors until 8 p.m. tonight in the district. the service and the tree will cost you $135.

and here is a gift idea. ford mustangigned will debut today, just ahead of their 50th anniversary. the new design has more power, better fuel efficiency, and for the first time since the 1980s an available four-cylinder engine. a v6 engine is also being offered, just in case you are in the market, gordon. you would look good in that. >> thanks. . time to announce the winner of the two tickets to see one direction. >> congratulations to nelly youssed, you are going to see one direction. though to facebook for your chance to win the tickets. we will announce the next winner tomorrow, right here on abc 7 news at 5:00. good luck. >> we will take another look at the weather with doug. >> it is still mild, 62 outside

of the belfort furniture weather center with cloudy skies. let's jump ahead to sunday, because that is the biggest weather event the next few days. the temperatures below zero over the northern plains, look how cold the areas. jackson, mississippi, 79. little rock 36. this is a big outbreak and it will cause all kinds of issues the next couple days. already seeing the rain moving across the appalachian mountains , this first batch of moisture with ice and snow well away from here. that will regenerate and affect us sunday. massive winter storm warnings and ice storm inc.'s, numerous states under states of emergencies because of the ice. we're sitting here with cloudy and mild. that will change as we go tomorrow,e day temperatures falling. we will have plenty of rain tomorrow, clearing skies during the day tomorrow and saturday.

much colder temperatures in place to give us a chance at the winter a mix of snow, sleet, freezing rain, very cold temperatures. could be enough to cause difficult driving, something to watch closely. warming up as rain on monday, then more cold air arrives. alex liggett just wrote a brand- new blog about the information about what will happen, what could happen, the things we look at. check it out at wjla.com. back to you. >> a group of young district football players is headed to florida tonight for the pop warner super bowl. >> but their trip almost did not happen because their boss did not show up this morning. that is until i call came to our newsroom and 7 on your side jumped into action. been months of training for these 11- and 12- year-olds. >> about seven months, we have been running. >> with conditioning for kids twice their age.

the warriors winning football season had a roadblock and 8:30 this morning. >> we were supposed to be on the road. now we have to wait. >> the d.c. department of parks and recreation agreed to pay the cost to transfer all 19 warriors to orlando, florida, for the pop warner super bowl. parents brought their kids out of school and huddled outside of the lab and park community center. but the bus schedule to arrive at 9 a.m. didn't. came, theye :00 switch their story and said we don't know why you're out there because we are not coming until 9:00 tomorrow. >> impossible they say, because pop warner rules are strict. they must be in orlando by friday at 5 p.m. or forfeit. >> it is not acceptable when we have been talking about this for at least a month. >> so devastated, they called 7 on your side for help, and we headed to dpr offices where we got no response, but minutes later we got a phone call from a

spokesman saying that a bus was on its way. >> i think we would still be out here trying to get on the bus. i don't think we would have made any progress at all. had it not been for you guys on our side. >> parks and x says it is customary to offer financial assistance to any pop warner kid who makes it to championship like. they call of this a mixup. to warriors are expected arrive in orlando just in time for the first championship game. in northeast, robert liles, abc 7 news. >> go warriors! >> great story. i know that the top story today has been the death of nelson mandela, an icon in sports as well. the death of the south african president anti-apartheid re: con -- anti-apartheid icon, often guided his country through sports. the 2010 world cup soccer bid, becoming the first

african nation to host the world cup. the rugbypresence at cup became international headlines. in johannesburg, south africa upset new zealand, nelson mandela, incredible in sports as well. winston will not be charged with sexual assault, the m.v.p. quarterback at florida state. the state attorney said after examining all of the evidence in the case, no charges would be filed against anyone. the state attorney said after reviewing the facts, there is no reasonable likelihood of conviction. late this afternoon, winston's attorney says that his client is innocent, then attention quickly turned back to football. >> with this affect the heisman vote? >> i have no idea. i hope the voters realize he has never been charged. >> how does this affect his preparation for duke? >> he is preparing right now and

ask acted to perform well. >> the redskins trying to hold things together, be competitive the last four games. you know the questions being asked around town are not about beating the chiefs. the number one question i hear is about mike shanahan, his contract, will he and his staff be back next year for the final year of the contract. rg iii was asked if he endorses mike shanahan. >> everyone is going to have an opinion and it is an outside opinion. only the people inside, us, coaches, everybody else in the organization knows what goes on around here. >> what is your opinion? >> my opinion of? >> the future. >> i think these guys have a great feature and i love having them here, and that is all i can say. we are focused on kansas city, they are focused on kansas city, that is all we can control. >> so rg iii does not endorse mike shanahan. he just say anything about mike shanahan. >> thank you very much. >> "scandal" is all new and abc

7 prime time. silas realizes he may have gone too far, while the team is getting closer to the truth. at 10:00,w "scandal" followed by abc seven news at 11:00. >> up next -- >> a sharp decline across montgomery county, but nobody knows why. a subaru... ...are the hands that do good things for the whole community: the environment, seniors, kids, and animals. that's why we created the share the love event. by the end of this year, the total donated by subaru could reach 35 million dollars. you get a great deal on a new subaru. we'll donate 250 dollars to a choice of charities that benefit your community. it feels good to be a helping hand. >> montgomery counties minimum

wage bill is now a law, ike leggett signing at this afternoon, raising minimum wage , phased in over the next four years. their lens current minimum wage or $15,000 per year for a full-time worker. >> two years ago, emery county was -- look emery county was perplexed over reports of rats.

down, the complaints are but county workers are clueless as to why. motgomery county reporter kevin lewis sifts through the numbers. >> things are better now in kensington. remembers june 2010, a month where norwegian rats like this one invaded her neighborhood. >> what was your reaction? >> they stank. >> new data showed a promising trend. nearly 1700unty had rack complaints, dropping to just 167 last year, a 90% drop. the council vice president george leventhal applauded the news. >> i don't have any answers for you. no idea what has has changed. >> we have no reason why they are down, but they are down. >> annual take that?

>> as of now, yes, because it appears we're doing something correctly. >> county employees tell people to avoid planting certain fruit trees, tossing fruit into compost piles, and using birdseed, cutting off the rats food source. advice this street puts to use. >> we have nice homes and we take care of them and we don't have rats. >> rat control is a homeowners responsibility, but look emery county has three employees strictly assigned to handle complaints. if your home or business is pinned as a nuisance property, you could be fined and forced to clean it up. kevin lewis, abc 7 news. >> that is it for abc 7 news at 5:00. >> the breaking news coverage of nelson mandela continues right now. captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- our nation has lost its

greatest son. >> bad news from south africa tonight, nelson mandela dead at the age of 95. frome news coming tonight south africa and president jacob zuma. scott thuman has the reaction from the newsroom, including from president obama. yes, a feeling of tremendous loss worldwide. the breaking news today, the announcement at age 95 nelson mandela has passed away. labeled,early understandably, the most heralded, accomplished, most below to fighter to end racism, that was his lifelong goal, and he succeeded in many ways, ending apartheid in south africa. in the past year, people had been very concerned about him. he spent several months in the at one point a

candlelight vigil was held outside 24 hours straight in south africa. , spendings released the last several months being tended to around-the-clock, as many as to to doctors -- as 20 to doctors trying to take care of the icon. unfortunately, the last couple days his family made a clear things were not going well, then today the news. of the countless people who , president obama talked about the inspirations that were set into motion and fulfilled on so many levels by nelson mandela, and how that inspiration needs to carry on well beyond today. here's the president. >> nelson mandela lived for that ideal and made it real. he achieved more than could be expected of any man. today he has gone home. we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human